Practice Areas
Personal Injury
When someone else's negligence causes you harm, you deserve full compensation for your injuries, lost income, and suffering. Showalter Colgin & Davis, PLLC represents accident victims throughout the Houston area with personalized attention and decades of experience.
When Someone Else's Negligence Changes Your Life.
A serious injury affects your health, your income, and your family. Our attorneys represent personal injury clients across Fort Bend County, Greater Houston, and Texas with the same trial-ready approach we bring to every case.
What You Get with Our Personal Injury Representation
Our personal injury practice focuses on getting you the compensation you deserve after someone else's carelessness or recklessness causes you harm. We handle the legal complexities while you focus on recovery, managing everything from insurance negotiations to court representation if a fair settlement can't be reached.
You get an attorney who returns your calls, explains your options in plain language, and fights for maximum compensation. We work on a contingency basis for most personal injury cases, which means you pay no attorney fees unless we recover money for you.
Our representation covers medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, pain and suffering, and future costs related to your injury. We document everything carefully, work with medical experts when needed, and build a case that reflects the full impact of your injuries on your life and livelihood.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle
Our firm represents clients across the Greater Houston area in various personal injury matters. Each case type requires specific knowledge of applicable laws, insurance practices, and liability standards.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents caused by distracted driving, speeding, impaired drivers, or unsafe road conditions. We handle property damage claims and injury compensation, working with accident reconstruction experts when fault is disputed.
Premises Liability
Injuries occurring on someone else's property due to dangerous conditions the owner knew about or should have known about. This includes slip and fall accidents, inadequate security, poor maintenance, and hazardous conditions in stores, restaurants, or other properties.
Wrongful Death
When negligence causes a family member's death, surviving relatives may recover funeral expenses, lost financial support, loss of companionship, and other damages. These cases require sensitivity and thorough documentation of both economic and non-economic losses.
Clergy and Institutional Abuse
We represent survivors of church, clergy, and laity sexual abuse with the discretion and respect these sensitive cases demand. Our attorneys understand the unique challenges abuse survivors face and work to hold institutions accountable for failing to protect vulnerable individuals.
How the Personal Injury Claims Process Works
Understanding what happens after you hire a personal injury attorney helps set realistic expectations. While every case is different, most follow a similar progression from initial consultation through resolution.
1Initial Consultation and Case Evaluation
We meet with you to discuss what happened, review any documentation you have, and assess the strength of your potential claim. This consultation costs nothing and creates no obligation. We explain whether you have a viable case and what compensation might be possible.
2Investigation and Documentation
Once you hire us, we gather police reports, medical records, witness statements, photos, and other evidence. We document your injuries, treatment, and how the accident affects your daily life. This foundation supports your claim and helps us calculate appropriate compensation.
3Demand and Negotiation
We send a detailed demand letter to the at-fault party's insurance company, outlining liability and damages. Most cases settle during negotiation, as insurers want to avoid trial costs and uncertainty. We negotiate for full compensation, rejecting lowball offers that don't cover your actual losses.
4Filing Suit if Necessary
If negotiations fail to produce a fair settlement, we file a lawsuit and prepare for trial. Many cases still settle after suit is filed, once the defendant realizes we're serious. If your case goes to trial, we present evidence and argue your case before a judge or jury.
5Resolution and Recovery
Once we reach a settlement or win at trial, we handle the paperwork to get you paid. We deduct our contingency fee and any case expenses, then send you the remainder. We explain all deductions clearly so you understand exactly what you're receiving and why.
What Affects Your Personal Injury Compensation
Several factors determine how much compensation you might recover. Economic damages include concrete costs like medical bills, lost wages, and property damage. Non-economic damages cover pain, suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. Texas law doesn't cap non-economic damages in most personal injury cases, though medical malpractice cases have specific limitations.
Your own actions matter too. Texas follows modified comparative negligence rules, meaning if you're partially at fault for your injuries, your compensation decreases by your percentage of fault. If you're more than 50% responsible, you can't recover anything. Insurance companies often argue you share blame to reduce what they pay.
The severity and permanence of your injuries significantly impact your case value. Permanent disabilities, disfigurement, or chronic pain justify higher compensation than injuries that heal completely. We work with medical experts to document your prognosis and explain how your injuries will affect your future earning capacity and quality of life.
Available insurance coverage creates practical limits on recovery. If an at-fault driver has minimal coverage and no significant assets, your recovery might be limited regardless of your damages. Underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy can help fill this gap, which is why we examine all possible sources of compensation.
Why Choose Showalter Colgin & Davis
Showalter Colgin & Davis, PLLC has served Richmond and the Greater Houston area since 1977. Our longevity reflects our commitment to this community and our reputation for ethical, effective legal representation. We know local courts, judges, and insurance adjusters, which helps us assess settlement offers and trial strategies realistically.
Our attorneys handle personal injury cases alongside other practice areas including estate planning, probate, and real estate law. This breadth benefits injury clients when cases involve complex issues like estate complications after wrongful death or property damage requiring contract disputes.
Our office location make us accessible to clients throughout Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland, Houston, and surrounding communities. We understand the roads, intersections, and businesses where accidents commonly occur in Fort Bend and Harris Counties.
Protecting Your Rights After an Accident
Several actions immediately after an accident can strengthen your eventual claim. Seek medical attention right away, even if you feel fine. Some injuries like whiplash, internal bleeding, or traumatic brain injuries don't show symptoms immediately. Medical records documenting injuries close in time to the accident are critical evidence linking your injuries to the accident.
Take photos of the accident scene, vehicle damage, visible injuries, road conditions, and anything else relevant. Get contact information from witnesses, as their statements might prove crucial if the other driver disputes fault. Write down your memory of what happened while details are fresh. These steps preserve evidence that might otherwise disappear.
Report the accident to your insurance company, but stick to basic facts. Avoid admitting fault or speculating about injuries before you've been fully evaluated. Don't sign anything from the other driver's insurance company, including medical authorizations, without consulting an attorney. These documents often grant broader access to your records than necessary and help insurers find reasons to deny or minimize your claim.
Keep records of everything related to your injury: medical bills, prescriptions, therapy appointments, lost work days, and out-of-pocket expenses. Document how your injuries affect daily activities, hobbies, and relationships. This documentation supports claims for non-economic damages and helps us demonstrate the full impact of your injuries. The more thorough your records, the stronger your case.
Common Questions About Personal Injury Claims
How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Texas?
Texas generally gives you two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. This statute of limitations is strict, with limited exceptions. Waiting too long bars your claim permanently, regardless of how strong your case is. However, you should contact an attorney much sooner, as evidence disappears and witnesses' memories fade. Starting early gives us time to investigate thoroughly and negotiate without the pressure of a looming deadline.
What if the other driver had no insurance or left the scene?
Uninsured and hit-and-run accidents create challenges, but you may still have options. Your own uninsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries when an at-fault driver has no insurance. Underinsured motorist coverage helps when the other driver's limits don't cover your damages. If you have no uninsured motorist coverage, you might sue the at-fault driver directly, though collecting a judgment against an uninsured person often proves difficult. Police reports help identify hit-and-run drivers, and your uninsured motorist coverage typically covers hit-and-run accidents.
Should I talk to the other driver's insurance company?
You should avoid giving recorded statements to the other driver's insurance company before consulting an attorney. Adjusters ask questions designed to minimize your claim or create statements they'll use against you later. You must report the accident to your own insurance company per your policy terms, but you don't owe the other insurer detailed explanations. Once you hire us, we handle all communication with insurance companies, protecting you from tactics meant to reduce your compensation.
How much is my personal injury case worth?
Case value depends on your medical expenses, lost income, property damage, pain and suffering, and how the injury affects your life. Permanent injuries, extensive medical treatment, long recovery periods, and significant lost wages increase case value. We can't provide an accurate estimate until we review your medical records and understand the full extent of your injuries. Some injuries worsen over time or require future treatment, which factors into your compensation. We calculate a demand that reflects both your current losses and reasonably anticipated future costs.
What happens if I was partially at fault for the accident?
Texas law allows you to recover compensation even if you were partially at fault, as long as you're not more than 50% responsible. Your compensation reduces by your percentage of fault. For example, if you're 20% at fault and your damages total $100,000, you'd recover $80,000. Insurance companies often exaggerate your fault to reduce payouts, so having an attorney who can argue against inflated fault percentages protects your recovery.
Do I need a lawyer if the insurance company made an offer?
Initial insurance offers rarely reflect the full value of your claim. Adjusters make early offers hoping you'll settle before you understand the extent of your injuries or hire an attorney. These offers typically cover immediate medical bills but ignore future treatment, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. An attorney evaluates whether an offer is fair based on similar cases and your total damages. Even if you've already been offered a settlement, consulting an attorney costs nothing and helps you make an informed decision.
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Discuss your personal injury matter
Contact Showalter Colgin & Davis at (281) 341-5577 to speak with an attorney. We serve property owners, businesses, and families throughout the Greater Houston area.